Aquatic Biodiversity, Community Composition and Ecosystem Processes
in Gates of the Arctic Park and Preserve and the Noatak National Preserve
Scope of Work
Prepared for
Arctic Network of Parks
National Park Service
Principal Cooperators
Breck Bowden, Stream Ecologist, University of Vermont*
Andrew Balser, Remote Sensing Specialist, University of Alaska- Fairbanks*
Chris Luecke, Lake Ecologist, Utah State University*
Alex Huryn, Aquatic Ecologist, University of Alabama*
Nicholas Hughes, Fisheries Ecologist, University of Alaska- Fairbanks*
Heidi Wilcox, Marine Biological Lab- Research assistant*
Julia LaRouche, University of Vermont – Graduate Student*
For NPS:
Diane Sanzone, Arctic Network Coordinator, National Park Service
Amy Larsen, Aquatic Ecologist, National Park Service
Steve Ulvi, National Park Service, Wilderness Coordinator/ Park Liaison*
Overview
Gates of the Arctic Park and Preserve (GAAR) and the Noatak National
Preserve (NOAT) are national treasures protected in the interest of the public for
future generations and the common good. The Noatak River and its surrounding
watershed is an internationally recognized UNESCO Biosphere Reserve,
established for its unique contribution to the conservation of biological diversity
and biological resources (UNESCO 1976). The first step in conserving biological
diversity is to conduct baseline surveys using an “ecosystem approach” to better
understand species present, community composition, species of concern, and
the ecosystems that sustain them (Secretariat of the Convention on Biological
Diversity). The United States government officially supports the suggested
recommendations of the Secretariat (CBD SBSTTA 9 2003).
Understanding and forecasting the impacts of current and future change
on biodiversity and ecosystem function in the Noatak Basin will depend on
understanding the ecosystems of this unique and relatively undisturbed area.
Except for a few isolated studies (Young et. al. 1974, LaPerriere 1999), little is
known about the current geographic ranges of most aquatic species in the arctic
parks. This includes freshwater and riparian vertebrates, nonvascular and
vascular plants, macro and micro arthropods, as well as a multitude of
microorganisms. Even less information is known about the ecosystems that
sustain these organisms and how they are changing. For example, little is known
about the effects of global climate change, arctic haze and airborne pollutants on
species and ecosystems in the parks.
In order to better understand the aquatic ecosystems in GAAR and NOAT
we propose to study the lakes, rivers, wetlands and surrounding watersheds of
the upper Noatak Basin. This includes approximately 330,000 hectares of land in
the westernmost portion of GAAR and easternmost portion of NOAT. This area
represents a transitional gradient in terms of physiography, underlying geology,
surficial geology, glacial history and extent, temperature, precipitation, vegetation
and animal species.
In summer of 2005, a group of approximately 8 aquatic ecologists* will be
collecting water samples in the Noatak Basin. The group hopes to begin work on
July 12th and end on approximately July 25th (depending on weather). The
group plans to contract with Brooks Aviation to be dropped off at the12 Mile
Creek put in and picked up at Lake Isiak (see map and schedule below for more
details). The group hopes to spend several days staging out of the cabin in/
around Lake Isiak from July 20-25th. All sites will be reached by float plane or
hiking.
General approach
We propose to sample lakes and streams along the Noatak River corridor
from 12-Mile Creek to Lake Matcharak during July of 2005 as part of an aquatic
monitoring and assessment effort for the National Parks Service. We will sample
physical, chemical, and biological components of these freshwater ecosystems.
Our focus will be on sampling parameters that could be used as indices for
monitoring ecosystem change, and that integrate various aspects of ecosystem
function. Other documents relevant to this sampling plan include:
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Science Plan entitled “Aquatic Biodiversity, Community Composition and
Ecosystem Processes in Gates of the Arctic National Park and Preserve
and the Noatak National Preserve”
The Minimum Requirement Decision entitled “Aquatic Biodiversity,
Community Composition and Ecosystem Processes in Gates of the Arctic
National Park and Preserve and the Noatak National Preserve”
Fish Resource Permit Application from the State of Alaska Department of
Fish and Game.
Trip planning maps and other documents produced by Andrew Balser at
the University of Alaska – Fairbanks and accessible at
http://www.uaf.edu/toolik/gis/TFS_GIS_noatak.html
The current plan is that the group will split into two smaller groups of 3-4
team members in order to collect water quality parameters in small lakes and
tributary streams feeding into the main stem of the Noatak River. The group
plans to sample 5-10 'primary' stream tributaries and small lakes and collect
water quality parameters in as many 'secondary' tributaries and small lakes while
floating the main stem of the Noatak as time will allow. These secondary sites
will consist of metrics/samples that can be collected in about 10-15 minutes.
Bear safety and gun training will be taken. Leave no trace and safety
training will be emphasized and wilderness/ backcountry ideals will be upheld.
One person will be certified in Wilderness EMT.
Specific Methods
Lake sampling - overview
We propose to sample 5-10 lakes along the Noatak River corridor from
12-Mile Creek to Lake Matcharak during July of 2005. Physical characteristics of
temperature, light, and lake morphometry will be measured for each lake. The
relative area and depth of each lake will be assessed by conducting orthogonal
cross-lake transects using a Garmin GPS/Depth Echosounder. Latitude,
longitude and depth will be measured along the two transects and used to
assess maximum and mean depth of each lake. These measures will be
compared to surface area generated from the GIS data structures for the area.
Depth profiles of light and temperature will be measured at a central station on
each lake by lowering a LiCor photometer with both a photosynthetically active
radiation sensor (PAR) and an ultraviolet radiation sensor (UV-A + UV-B).
Extinction curves of radiation energy with depth will be calculated for each lake
and serve as an integrative measure of light energy entering the lake. Both PAR
and UV light are sensitive to a variety of atmospheric and watershed
perturbations and provide insight into environmental change. Temperature will
be measured with a Hydrolab data sonde equiped with a SCUFA chlorophyll
sensor.
Chemical characteristics of conductivity, oxygen, total nitrogen, total
phosphorus, and water color will be measured at the central sampling station at
each lake. Depth profiles of conductivity and dissolved oxygen will be made
using the Hydrolab profiler. Epilimnetic samples will be taken at three stations in
each lake with an integrated tube sampler. Water samples (100 ml each) will be
acidified in the field and preserved for later determination of the concentration of
total nitrogen and total phosphorus in each sample. Color will be determined
using index charts as a surogate for concentrations of dissolved organic carbon.
Biological characteristics of the lakes will include sampling for primary
producers, zooplankton, benthic invertebrates and fish. The goal of this sampling
is two-fold; 1) to survey the taxa of organisms present in each lake for
comparison with other systems and to provide baseline data to assess changes
in biodiversity, and 2) to assess potential trophic interactions among food web
components using tissue sample for stable isotopes of carbon and nitrogen.
Phytoplankton samples will be collected from the integrated epilimnetic tube
sample at three stations per lake. Sample of 100 ml will be preserved in Lugol's
solution for possible later identification and enumeration. A separate sample of
phytoplankton will be filtered onto a 0.45 glass fiber filter and dried for isotopic
analyses. Littoral zone plants will be collected. Some will be preserved for
identification and some for isotopic analyses. Zooplankton from the water
column will be collected using a 70 um mesh plankton net to collect both rotifer
and crustacean organisms. At each of three sampling stations per lake, plankton
tows will be collected from the bottom of the lake to the surface and from the
bottom of the epilimnion to the surface. Samples will be preserved in Lugols and
identified and enumerated at Utah State University. One additional epilimnetic
sample and one whole-water column sample will be collected and dried for
isotopic analyses. Density and biomass of the dominant organisms will be
calculated for each lake. Benthic invertebrates will be collected from bottom
Ekman grab samples collected at four depths per lake. Samples will be sieved in
the field through a 200 um mesh net and preserved in ethanol. Benthic
invertebrates from the littoral zone will be collected with a pump sampler from
four locations, sieved and preserved for later identification. A selection of benthic
invertebrates will be selected and dried for isotopic analyses. Fish will be
collected by setting three variable-mesh gill nets (25-256 mm stretch mesh) for
between 4 and 12 hours per lake. Ten to twenty minnow traps will be set along
shorelines in 1-m deep water to attempt to capture fish too small for capture with
gill nets. Angling will be used as a possible collection option. Catch per unit
effort of each gear will be estimated for each lake. Species, length, wet mass,
tissue for isotopic determination, and otoliths will be collected from each fish.
Fish carcasses will be returned to the lake from which they were collected.
Lakes sampling – metrics
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Physical parameter
o Temperature profiles
o Light (PAR and UV)
o Morphometry (sonar transects)
Chemistry
o TN, TP
o Color (DOC surrogate)
o Conductivity
o Dissolved Oxygen
Primary producers
o Epilimnetic Chlorophyll
o Chlorophyl profile (SCUFA)
o Seston C&N isotopes
o Benthic Periphyton Chlorophyll shore
o C&N isotopes
Invertebrates
o Depth-stratified zooplankton
o C&N isotopes for bulk zooplankton
o Ekman grabs at 4 depths (epi, meta, hypo)
o C&N Isotopes from dominant taxa
Fish
o Angling
o Gill net sampling
o Near shore traps
o Length and mass
o C&N Isotopes from each individual via fin clip
Stream sampling – overview
We propose to sample stream tributaries along the Noatak River corridor
from 12-mile creek to Lake Matcharak during July of 2005. We will intensively
sample 5-10 ‘primary’ tributaries associated with overnight stays and/or sites
associated with the more intensive lake surveys. We will sample as many
additional ‘secondary’ tributaries as we can while floating between ‘primary’ sites.
These will consist of metrics/samples that can be collected in about 10-15 mins
of on-the-ground effort; i.e., on the fly.
Metrics that will be collected at secondary (on the fly) sites include
electrical conductivity, pH, ToC and dissolved oxygen. These will be analyzed on
the spot with field instruments, calibrated at least daily as per the instrument
instructions. Filtered (0.45 μm) and preserved (acidified to <pH 2 with 1:1 HNO3
acid) samples will be taken for later analysis of metals and base cations by
inductively-coupled plasma atomic emission spectroscopy (ICP-AES). Additional
filtered (0.45 μm) samples will be taken for total dissolved nitrogen (preserved at
pH <2 with H2SO4) and total dissolved phosphorus (preserved with mercuric
chloride). Samples of seston will be preserved on glass fiber filters for total
nitrogen, total phosphorus, 15N and 13C analyses. Quick, qualitative scrubs of
biofilm from cobbles will be homogenized is a dish pan and 100 ml sample will be
preserved in Lugol’s solution for later identification of benthic algae. General
characteristics of local in-stream macrophytes and substrate, riparian and valley
vegetation and surficial form will be noted. Samples of key instream
macrophytes or bryophytes will be taken for later identification. Each site will be
photo-documented (oblique and overview) and the GPS location will be noted.
At primary sites, where more time is available, we will take additional
metrics. These will include all of the ‘secondary’ metrics noted above. In
addition, at these sites we will measure physical characters of the channel
(bankfull width, depth and perimeter, and slope) at 10 m intervals for 100 m long
reaches where possible in headwater streams. Width, depth and perimeter will
be estimated with measuring tapes and chains. The slope of the water’s surface
was measured using a length of clear vinyl tubing as a water level between 10 m
transects along the study reach. Particle size-distribution will be quantified by
walking across the stream at each transect, picking up the particle closest to the
left foot at each of 10 steps, and measuring its maximum diameter (pebble
counts). Ten particles will be measured in each transect for a total of 100
particles measured per stream. Tractive forces will be calculated using the
following equation:
TC = ρRS,
where TC is tractive force (kg m-2), ρ is the density of water (kg m-3), R is the
hydraulic radius (m), and S is the slope of the water’s surface (m m -1). Hydraulic
radius will be derived from measurements of bankfull perimeter and depth.
Estimates of tractive force and particle size-distribution will be combined to
estimate potential substratum movement, an important variable controlling
invertebrate community structure in Alaskan streams
Major food web components of the streams will be sampled, including
primary producers, benthic invertebrates and fish. The goal of this sampling is
to: 1) survey the biodiversity present in each stream for comparison with other
systems and to provide baseline data to assess future changes, and 2) assess
potential trophic interactions among food web components using tissue sample
for stable isotopes of carbon and nitrogen. Samples of periphyton (n=5/stream)
will be taken by scrubbing periphyton and biofilm from an 8 cm2 area of cobble
surface using a plastic template and a wire brush (2”x2” scrubs). The resulting
slurry will be washed into a container using a wash bottle. A subsample of this
slurry will be filtered onto a 0.45 glass fiber filter and extracted with ethanol.
Chlorophyll a in the ethanol extract will be measured in the field with a Turner
Designs Aquafluor field fluorometer and reported as mass chlorophyll a per cm2.
The normal extractant for this analysis is acetone; however, ethanol is an
acceptable and less toxic substitute. A separate sample of biofilm will be filtered
onto a 0.45 glass fiber filter and dried for isotopic analyses. A third portion of the
biofilm sample will be preserved in Lugol’s for later identification of benthic algae.
Macrophytes (bryophytes and vascular plants) will also be collected and a portion
preserved for identification and another portion for isotopic analyses. A Surber
sampler (243 μm mesh) will used to sample macroinvertebrates. Five samples
will be taken from at least two separate riffles in each stream. Substrata will be
scrubbed with a brush to dislodge macrophytes and detritus. Samples will be
preserved in 4% formaldehyde. Laboratory processing will consist of the
following steps. Invertebrates will be removed by hand under magnification.
Invertebrates will be identified to the lowest practical taxonomic level, usually
genus, and assigned to functional-feeding groups. Biomass will be estimated
from measurements of body length using family-level length-mass relationships.
Density and biomass/m2 for each taxon present will be estimated fro each
stream. A selection of benthic invertebrates will be selected and dried for
isotopic analyses. Macrophytes obtained during sampling will be oven dried for
48 hr at 60 oC. Dry mass will be measured and then the sample will be ignited in
a muffle furnace (500 oC). The remaining ash mass will be measured and
subtracted from dry mass to estimate ash-free dry mass. Ten baited minnowtraps will be set in pools along banks to capture fish. Angling will be used as a
possible collection option. Catch per unit effort of each gear will be estimated for
each stream. Species, length, wet mass, tissue for isotopic determination, and
otoliths will be collected from each fish. Fish carcasses will be returned to the
streams from which they were collected.
All sites will be photo-documented with digital cameras. The photos will
be indexed, annotated, and archived on CD for the NPS.
Samples for ICP-AES analysis will be returned to the University of
Vermont for analysis. Samples for TDN and TDP and all isotope samples will be
returned to the Marine Biological Laboratory for analysis. Benthic algal and
bryophyte voucher specimens will be identified by Breck Bowden at the
University of Vermont. Macrophyte voucher specimens will be identified by Amy
Larson at the NPS-Fairbanks. Macroinvertebrate and fish sample will be
identified and processed by Alex Huryn at the University of Alabama.
Stream sampling - metrics
Primary and Secondary sites
 Electrical conductivity (meter)
 pH (meter)
 ToC and DO
 filtered samples for ICP-AES
 filtered samples for TN and TP
 filtered seston for C&N isotopes
 general observations of local in-stream macrophytes and substrate,
riparian and valley vegetation and surficial characteristics
 photo-documentation –
o 1 digital picture site oblique overview
o 1 digital picture ‘aerial’ view down on substrate
 GPS locations
Primary sites only
 Physical habitat metrics
o Evidence of flow regime (bank full characteristics)
o Substrate type (pebble counts?)
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Primary produces
o Composite epilithic scrubs for micro-algal samples (preserved)
o Composite epilithic scrubs for C&N biofilm isotopes
o Search for macro-algae (upper 1-5 km and secondary tribs)
(collections)
o Search for instream macrophytes/bryophytes (as above)
(collections)
o Note riparian vegetation (as above)
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Macro-inverts
o Samples for total benthic inverts (kick net?) (collections)
o Samples of key benthic inverts for C&N isotopes
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Fish
o Baited minnow traps (angling optional)
o In field identification and measurements
o Samples for C&N via fin clips